Overview

• On July 18, Congress approved a bill rescinding $1.1 billion in CPB funding, part of a broader $9.4 billion federal cut package now pending President Trump’s signature.
• The rescinded grants, which account for about 8–15 percent of many NPR and PBS member stations’ budgets, will expire on October 1.
• Local outlets from Long Island to Alabama report immediate budget gaps up to 13 percent and warn that smaller rural stations could go off the air.
• Critics including NPR CEO Katherine Maher and Sen. Edward Markey say the cuts serve partisan aims and jeopardize emergency alerts and educational programs.
• With 22 percent of low-income households lacking reliable internet access, the funding drop threatens to deepen news deserts and restrict trusted information.